Carlo

Everyone was sitting at the waiting area for the flight. Even my dad made it and I haven't seen him in a week. He worked in a completely different company than Escalante's dad and it was quite far from where we lived. But today, he was able to leave work for us.

Our parents had gone to buy something for us to take on the plane while we waited and I listened to the female air official make any announcement about our flight.

I couldn't deny how happy I was to leave this country. I was going to Canada. Of all the places. I've heard many things about it and majority were positive. Like seriously, weed is legalized there.

"What are you grinning about?" Escalante said, not even looking up from his Nintendo.

"I'm excited." I turned to him and shook his arm, knowing I was going to get a very annoyed glare from him, which I ignored anyway, "Aren't you? I mean we are boarding a plane all on our own and we are going to stay together."

He frowned, "I hate when you interrupt my game." Then he sighed and gave me a playful smile. "I won't lie. I am a tiny bit excited but I grew attached to someone during the few days."

"Really? Who?"

"That Samuel guy I was talking about."

"The straight one?" I rose a brow at him, falling back in my seat.

"Not so straight anymore." He winked then did this thing with his hand where he made an O with one and passed the index of his other hand in it. I immediately understood and I felt sick to my stomach.

Escalante might be my best friend but there were things he did that were just...no. And the worse part was, I was the only one who knew it. To every other person, including his sisters and parents, he was a depressed gay boy so they tried to support him in anyway they could. They loved him that much but they didn't know Escalante was a big pervert.

And I don't mean the 'sleep with all the boys' or 'flirt with all the boys' or 'eye rape them." Hell no. He was the type to pick a prey, study him for days, weeks, months-if possible-then when he was sure he had him, he was going to eat him. People like him make straight guys want to stay straight.

I watched him rest his back on his seat to stare at me. He had the greenest eyes. It always made me feel like I was away on an island with just him. Not that I want to be, that would be scary and weird.

His breath brushed my face and it drew my consciousness back to realize how close I was to him. My eyes widened to the size of a saucer as he said, "Move any closer and I will kiss you."

That got me reacting. I pulled back as if I had been touched by fire then covered my lips as my cheeks burned. God, he was such a pervert.

Our flight was suddenly called and the first class were starting to board. Jacinta quickly stood up with my sister and came to stand in front of us. Jacinta frowned, her brows furrowed together in worry, "You think mum and dad got lost?"

"My dad is good with locations. Getting lost is out of the option." I told them.

"They will be here soon then. Beside, it's first class, business before Economy." Escalante shrugged and everyone scowled at him when he went back to playing his game.

"Sometimes, you are so inconsiderate." His sister shook her head in disbelief, her brown pony tail dangling from side to side.

Sighing, he dropped his game and looked up at her, "Relax. They will come. If they don't make it, call them. Especially now that it is business class being called. The moment they say 'Economy', it might be impossible to even find each other with the crowd."

"You should call them." Camila said and I nodded in agreement.

"Then again, you are the smart one so I take my comments back." She rolled her eyes, "The three of you, stay here. I'll go out and call." She started to leave and Camila followed her.

Escalante tsked, frowning at their disappearing figures, "If we don't make this flight, I, personally won't mind. I actually have someone waiting for me at home. And to think he wanted to report me."

"You are disgusting."

"I'm only human." He sang then threw his arms over my shoulder then whisper, "I can't wait to tell you how he first came."

I definitely would have passed out right there from embarrassment but our parents showed up just as they called for Economic class. It became rowdy because everyone was trying to get there first but Escalante and I managed to meet up with them. My mum and dad pulled me aside from the crowd to talk to me and he said, "Be lively out there, okay?"

"Yes and watch out for Escalante. He's like your big brother, isn't he?" My mum said and I glanced at him.

His own parents were talking to him and I couldn't hear them when his mum spoke but when his dad did, it came out very clearly, "Look son, we did this for you to enjoy at least one summer in a country that legalizes your kind of people and are very kind. I would have told you not to bring home a kid but then you are you."

"I love you, dad." He chuckled then hugged his mother. He was always such a mother's boy.

I turned back to my own parents and nodded with a grin. I would have given them a hug but I was the shy type so I waved and went to get my backpack.

Escalante and I waved them off then went to join our sisters as they slid their tickets across the scanner and in a matter of minutes, we were aboard the plane with our destination being Toronto.

***

The moment we touched ground, my eyes flew open at the impact. I held my seat handle along with my breath as the tires scraped the gravel floor to a stop. The aircraft then moved slowly for a few minutes and I used the time to wake Escalante up. He released a soft moan before turning to me, his eyes still screwed up shut.

I shook him again and he frowned, opening his clear green eyes slowly, "What?" He mouthed.

"We are in Canada."

He jerked up in his seat then opened the shutters-he had closed it because he was getting air sick-to see the view of a very well designed airport.

The craft made its final stop and everyone rushed to get down. We found our sisters sometime when we were waiting for our luggage.

Camila was on her phone, giggling at something she was either reading or watching. I wasn't close enough to know. She tucked a few strands of her honey blond hair behind her ears then called to Jacinta to show her what she was finding intriguing.

I, on the other hand, was sticking to Escalante like glue because the crowd that surrounded us was making it hard for me to breath. I felt like if I exhaled wrongly, they were going to look at me and I really didn't want that.

"Carlo, the luggage are here. Go get one of those cart thing."

My eyes widened, especially when I saw how far they were. I quickly blocked my friend's line of view and he glared at me, "Don't tell me you can't walk all the way there just to get one of the cart thing."

I shook my head vigorously. And to think I actually came here to lose this shy thing.

"You are getting the cart or we aren't going to leave here. You have got to grow up, Carlo. I won't be forever your mouth piece. Especially here. We came here to be the opposite of what we normally are. The opposite of you would have gone to get a cart for us."

I opened my mouth to counter him but failed when I knew he was right. To be the opposite of myself, I had to lose this insecure part of me for a narcissist. But I don't love myself that much-

"Stop thinking Carlo and just do."

"How about you do that instead?" I suggested out of nowhere.

He rose a bushy brow at me, "Then you rather pick the luggage? Did I tell you how heavy my sister's luggage was?" He was playing me and I knew it. He really wanted me to get the cart.

His eyes darted away from me almost immediately then he said, "Oh look, it's Camila's luggage." Then he looked back at me, "Hurry and get the cart thing." With that, he left me to grab Camila's luggage.

Frowning at myself, I walked up to Camila knowing if I couldn't do it by myself. I had to do it with someone. Camila and Jacinta looked up from my sister's phone and they rose their brows at me simultaneously.

"Hey sis. Can I borrow you for a sec-actually for a few minutes. We need to get carts for our luggage."

She whined, "What? I thought you and Es did all that?"

"We were waiting for our-"

"I'll follow you." Jacinta interrupted me saying, "Come on."

"But what about the video?" Camila asked her. She didn't sound angry so I could only assume the reason she didn't want to follow me was because she was lazy.

"We could do that in the car on our way."

"I'm using the airport WiFi." She gave her a dull stare.

"Oh." She stayed silent for a second then shrugged. "We'll watch it somehow. Right now, I am tired and I really want to lie on a bed." Then without another word, she grabbed my hand and pulled me out the crowd in the direction of the cart thing.

My cheeks burned when I realized how soft her hands were in mine. It made me realize I have never really held hands with her before. I glanced up at her to see her staring at me and I blushed harder, looking away immediately.

"Don't get the wrong idea Carlo." She said, her voice authoritative but yet playful.

"I-I'm sorry. I'm j-just not really used to women's touch. Except my mother o-of course."

"Breathe dude." She laughed lightly. "I'm your best friend's sister. You are supposed to be free with me as you are with him."

"I'm just..." I trailed off.

"Shy? Insecure?" She rose a brow and let go of me, making me miss the comfort of her hand but a bit relived so people won't get the wrong idea.

"All of the above." I murmured.

We got to the cart and pulled two out, each of us rolling one back to the crowd that seemed to have diminished. We found Escalante and Camila surrounded by all our luggage. He shot me a look that I understood immediately. He was disappointed I didn't go myself but ignored it like I always did. Not my fault I just happened to be me.

We lifted our luggage on the cart and then pushed it out the door to be greeted with their bright sunshine, the smell of coffee and another set of crowd. Some were holding boards with people's name on it and others were just standing there, looking for a friend or a family member.

"So what now?" I asked as we rolled, following the people as they left the airport.

"I just saw my name." Jacinta said then every one of us glanced in the direction she was looking at.

Indeed there was a woman wearing a uniform with a board in her hand that said Ms. Jacinta Alonza. She waved to us and Jacinta squealed happily.

We rode our carts to her and she introduced herself as Mrs. Ariesa but made sure we called her just Ariesa. She looked young, probably in her early thirties and she smiled gleefully at us.

"You are going to enjoy yourself here." She said, leading us out side the airport and we were surprised by the change of temperature. Inside was almost freezing but out here it felt like I was being roasted.

"Is it always hot here?" Camila asked.

"Oh no. It's summer so it is right now. Don't worry, you'll get used to it in no time."

We stopped beside an SUV and a man came out to lift our loads into the car.

Turning my focus now to Escalante, I saw him checking out a man that just came out from the airport and he was being so open about it. He grinned widely then looked at me, "I think I'm going to like it here."

"Oh fuck me." I mentally whined.